


Just Business

by White Aster (white_aster)



Category: GetBackers
Genre: Assassins & Hitmen, F/M, Gentleman Assassins are Best Assassins
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-15
Updated: 2014-07-15
Packaged: 2018-02-08 22:33:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1958589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/white_aster/pseuds/White%20Aster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Himiko needs an escort for a formal function.  Someone polite, well-dressed, light on his feet...and someone who'd definitely understand that this was strictly business.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Just Business

Himiko would really have rathered to skip the party altogether, but she chalked it up to business. Kyo Matsumoto was a well-paying repeat client, and if he wanted Himiko as one of the "pretty ladies" at his holiday party, Himiko was willing to exchange a few hours of chatting with boring people for his continued goodwill. She already had a formal party dress that didn't hamper her movement too much and shoes that actually weren't hideously uncomfortable. She figured that she was set.

When the invitation came, though, she realized that there was another problem: the "and guest" part. Matsumoto was a traditionalist, and showing up by herself would cause a stir...not to mention leave her open to surreptitious pinches and pats from Matsumoto himself. No, no, best to go with an ally. But who?

Five minutes of thought brought Himiko to the rather depressing conclusion that she didn't KNOW any suitable escorts. Her last date had been six months ago and had ended with her leaving said date and his grabby hands scratching his ass and making monkey noises at every woman he saw.

"Well," she thought, "there's always the old standby of hiring someone...." She made a face. As a last resort, surely? She flopped back on her bed, paging through the phone numbers in her cell phone. "Argh. I can't be THAT desperate. I must know SOMEONE who won't make a fool of me at this thing. Someone who knows me at least a LITTLE so it won't seem like I don' t know someone to take me to these things."

*Honky Tonk* her phone suggested. Himiko snorted. She would go alone before she'd go to Ban Mido for something like that. And besides...either of those two idiots would probably spend the night devouring everything in sight.

There would probably be dancing, too, which Himiko wasn't the best at but could manage. Finding someone who could dance was probably out of the question, but someone light on his feet would suffice...

She stopped, staring at the number entry in her phone. "....no."

She stared some more. Well...he was light on his feet...probably already knew how to dance...he was polite...smart...probably could make small talk better than she could.... Really, he was the kind of man you'd take home to meet mother...except for that little homicidal urges problem. And really, the man was a sociopath, but Himiko had to admit that he could hide it well.

She pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. He'd never do it. After all, being entertained was his thing, and surely standing around sipping champagne and making small talk sounded boring as hell? It sure did to HER.

Himiko stared at the phone some more, chewing on her lip a bit. "Oh hell...." She punched a button and left the correct coded message with the ubiquitous answering service. Ten minutes later, her phone rang.

"Himiko-san. So nice to hear from you."

"Akabane-san. I have...a bit of a favor to ask."

"Oh?"

Himiko took a deep breath and explained the basics.

There was silence on the other end of the line for a few beats. "You need an escort and you're asking...me, Himiko-san?" He sounded amused, the bastard.

Himiko tried not to sound like she was gritting her teeth. "All my other possibilities are already busy for that night," she lied. "This is strictly business, Akabane-san, you know that."

"Hmm. Of course. I would be delighted, Himiko-san."

Himiko wasn't sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. When they'd finalized the details, she hung up and stared blankly at the wall. "Argh. This is not a date. This is NOT a date. Just keep repeating that to yourself, Himiko: this is not a date...."

**********************

She was still repeating that two weeks later, in the cab to the party, and also as she waited in the lobby just inside. Why was she more nervous about Akabane than she was about the rest of this party? They'd worked together for years, he'd saved her neck a few times, she'd trusted him with her life more than once--

"You look lovely, Himiko-san."

She whirled--JUST like him to sneak up on her, dammit!--...and stared. She had expected the compliment, had even expected Akabane to wear  
something a little more formal than his usual suit. She had even half-expected the tasteful corsage he was offering, because this WAS Akabane after all.

However, somehow she wasn't quite prepared for the sight of Dr. Jackal without his trademark hat, in an impeccable black tuxedo. He looked...good. He'd even managed to tame his hair somehow.

"Himiko-san?"

"Yes. Sorry. Thank you." Himiko accepted the corsage: one deep red rose bloom. It would go nicely with the deep indigo of her dress.

"Well, then," Akabane said, smiling. He offered his arm. "Shall we?" 

Himiko accepted it. It felt strange. She couldn't exactly remember the last time she'd TOUCHED Akabane...if ever. He wasn't the type of man and they weren't in the type of business that really ENCOURAGED casual touching. His arm felt...like an arm, though, and Himiko firmly told her nerves to settle. She looked toward the main hall determinedly. "Sure."

Akabane was much taller than she, but somehow when they started walking, he set the pace so she didn't feel rushed. "You look as if you're going into battle, Himiko-san," Akabane observed, sounding amused.

"I think I'd rather a fight, to be honest." At least then I'd feel like I knew what I was doing, she thought.

"Hmm...perhaps we shall get lucky and someone will attack."

Himiko looked up at him skeptically as she handed the attendant at the door their invitation. "Right. To what, raid the hors d'oeuvres table?"

She almost didn't notice when Akabane took her arm again. "Well...." He looked about mock-interestedly. "The GetBackers ARE unaccounted  
for...."

She knew that he'd probably said it to make her laugh, but that didn't really keep her from laughing.

OK, she thought, maybe this won't be so bad.

************

Remarkably enough, it wasn't. Oh, the food was barely tolerable, the conversation insipid, and there were plenty of women there who looked at Himiko like she was something that had been scraped off the bottom of their shoe, but Himiko had been EXPECTING that. Matsumoto was pleased to see her, jolly and red-cheeked like only a man on his fourth glass of champagne could be. He thanked her for coming and made her promise to dance with him sometime that night. He blinked a little when she introduced Akabane, his eyes widening a bit. Akabane smiled his usual, polite smile, but Matsumoto had heard of Akabane Kuroudo, and when Matsumoto DID dance with her, he kept his hands quite properly at her waist.

Akabane met her on the dancefloor after Matsumoto bowed and kissed her hand and went off to find someone with a less intimidating escort to harass. Akabane bowed slightly and before Himiko knew it, another dance was starting, his arm was around her waist, she was being led with much more finesse than Matsumoto had managed. "Matsumoto-san looked a bit...discomfited during your dance, Himiko-san."

Himiko tilted her head at him, the sardonic amusement in her eyes no doubt matching that in his. "I didn't think of THAT benefit to having you escort me."

Akabane attempted to look innocent. "Why, Himiko-san, I've no idea what you're talking about."

"Mmmhmm...heh. Honestly, I never thought that I'd be glad of YOUR reputation for QUITE that reason."

"I am happy to be of service, Himiko-san," Akabane said modestly.

Himiko laughed, all of a sudden quite aware that she was dancing with the most dangerous man in the room and not minding in the least.

*************

They stayed for longer than Himiko would have expected. First, because it was polite, second because of the men who wished to dance with Himiko, and third because of the women who wanted to dance with Akabane. Several women who Himiko was sure never would have deigned to talk to her otherwise struck up conversations with her, asking delicately about her escort. No, she said, they were not dating, merely business associates. No, she was not sure if Akabane had a love interest at the moment. Yes, he did seem to be quite a good dancer....

Himiko watched as one by one they approached Akabane. He was always gracious, meticulously polite, whisking them around the dancefloor and returning them to their escorts with a polite kiss on the hand. One time he did that, Himiko's eyes were caught by his gloves. Very white, from this distance they looked the same as those she'd always seen him wear. Of course, she realized, he'd have to, to hide the mysterious scars she'd once seen on his hands. A small, perverse part of her was amused that the women fluttered so over a man she'd seen lick human blood off white gloves very like those. She hid her smirk in her third glass of champagne.

*****************

Akabane held her coat for her when they left, which surprised her not so much because he did it as because she couldn't remember anyone doing it for her before. As they walked towards the main doors, she could see that it had started snowing, just enough to haze the streetlights.

"Thank you," she said. "I had a surprisingly good time tonight."

"You are most welcome, Himiko-san. I also had a pleasant evening." He took her hand from the crook of his elbow and bowed over it, kissing the back. "It was difficult not to, with such pleasant company."

Himiko fought not to blush and wasn't sure how well she succeeded. "Flatterer."

"Ah, but it is not flattery if it is the truth, Himiko-san." He smiled down at her, and suddenly, like earlier in the evening, Himiko was very aware of how close they were standing. Strange how she noticed it now, she thought, but not when they had been dancing.

Himiko looked up at him. This close, he was very tall. "You were very pleasant company also, Akabane-san."

He looked genuinely pleased at that, though Himiko reminded herself that this was AKABANE, and he could be faking it, just to confuse her for some silly game of his own, could be faking that knowing, "this is a bad idea, isn't it? oh well!" quirk to his lips, and what might be actual affection in his eyes and oh no--

If she'd thought about it, she would have expected his kiss to be cool, for the entirety of him to be barely above room temperature, really. It was just the type of person Akabane WAS. Instead, his lips were warm, his fingers under her chin gentle and also warm, even through the gloves. She found herself tilting her face up, kissing back, only a very small voice still clamoring in her head against closing her eyes while this close to Dr. Jackal. His hand slid delicately down her neck, stopping to rest on her bare shoulder under her coat. The touch gave her goosebumps, and not totally from the cold.

He pulled away and she blinked in the suddenly-bright light spilling out from the lobby. He leaned forward again, and her heart did an interesting little leap into her throat, but this time he only kissed her forehead. "Good night, Himiko-san." His smile quirked. "Should you need a partner for such a mission in the future, don't hesitate to call me." And he bowed, turned, walked away, and melted into the shadows before he'd gone a dozen steps.

Himiko stared into the dark after him. "...right."

A moment later, a clump of snow landed on her nose, making her sneeze, and she shook herself firmly. "Idiot," she thought. "Business. Just business." A voice in the back of her head that sounded suspiciously like Ban Mido sneered that that hadn't LOOKED like business.

Himiko scowled. She hailed a cab and very carefully didn't think about the feel of white gloves on her skin all the way home.

~End


End file.
